Amnesty International (AI) has issued an urgent action call because it fears for the life of lawyer Orhan Kemal Cengiz. Cengiz is the joint attorney representing the family of one of the three men murdered at the Christian Zirve Publishing House in Malatya, in the southeast of Turkey, in April 2007.

No protection granted yet

AI says in its action call issued on 13 February:

“Orhan Kemal Cengiz, a lawyer, human rights defender and newspaper columnist, has been threatened and intimidated because of his legal work on behalf of one of three men killed in an attack at a Christian publishing house in April 2007. He has asked the authorities to provide him with a bodyguard to protect him. The authorities have not yet granted this request.”

Cengiz, so AI, was a founder of Amnesty International Turkey and other human rights initiatives. He has represented many victims of rights violations.
“He has been threatened and intimidated on a number of occasions, intensifying since November 2007, when the trial began of those accused of killing the three men at the Zirve publishing house.”

Letters with threatening content 

“In November, Orhan Kemal Cengiz saw an article in a local newspaper in Malatya, which included details that he believes could only have been learnt through the interception of his telephone and electronic communications about the case. He later learned that a letter had been sent to the Malatya prosecutor accusing him (Cengiz) of involvement in the murders. The letter also contained other fales information apparently designed to damage his reputation and make him a target. Finally, in January 2008 Cengiz received a letter, the substance of which indicated it had been written by the same person or people who had sent the letter to the Malatya prosecutor. This letter purported to be a letter of support but in fact contained both veiled and direct threats to his safety.”

Reminding the readers of the negligence in the Hrant Dink case, where journalist Dink had reported threats and the police authorities had been aware of murder plans but had not prevented the attack from happening, Amnesty International has called on human rights defenders to urge authorities to protect Cengiz. The appeals are to be sent to Mehmet Ali Sahin, Minister of Justice, Besir Atalay, Minister of the Interior, Nabi Sensoy, Ambassador of Turkey in Washington, Ercüment Yilmaz, Ankara Chief of Police, as well as Ankara’s Duty Prosecutor. (EÖ/TK/AG)